208 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[JUNE, 
Electricity — Lightnings — Electrical 
phenomena are so strange, and so little understood "by the 
general public, that they stand ready to accept electrical 
action as the cause of any obscure occurrence. Electrici- 
ty is the great refuge of the would-be scientific, who say 
that this and that is due to electricity, and that ends all 
further questioning. A western M'riter on pruning, in 
the Gardener's Monthly, will not have the terminal buds 
cut from the trees in pruning, because they act as " prime 
conductors" of electricity, which is a very "scientific" 
way of talking profound nonsense. "We have before us 
two curious illustrations of the way in which electricity is 
treated. One upon the pear blight, in which the writer 
refers this malady to the effect of lightning upon the 
leaves, and another, by a lady, who considers the potato- 
rot due to the absence of sufficient lightning in certain 
years. The last named writer accompanies her article by 
observations, which show that, in her section of country, 
the years with the most lightning were the freest from 
the rot. Now, as the rot is a well known parasitic fungus, 
brought, comparatively recently, from abroad, and, as in 
this country, before this unwelcome guest was intro- 
duced here, we probably had years quite as deficient in 
lightning, as we have since had, we cannot regard this 
view as at all satisfactory. If those who are so ready to 
ascribe this and that to electricity, would just take the 
trouble to first study some of the elementary laws of this 
branch of physics, they would be less apt to ran into 
speculations respecting the influence of electricity. 
Storm Signals during- Harvest. — 
The following plan to aid in preventing injury to grain 
and hay crops from storms during harvest, is presented 
to the readers of the Agriculturist by A. Watson, Esq., of 
Washington, who has placed himself, extensively in com- 
munication with reading farmers through the newspa- 
pers. The subject is one of importance, and needs the 
practical thoughts of the agriculturists of the country. 
He estimates the extent of the damage as one-third the 
value of the crops, and proposes that all the County Seats 
throughout the land should be connected by telegraph 
lines, (which would require the construction of but few 
new ones,) and that cannons should be fired at the county 
town, in a way to make known, accurately, the distance of 
every telegraphed storm, and the rapidity of its approach. 
Our cotemporaries, whose comments upon this plan we 
have seen, seem to overlook the fact that thunder show- 
ers and storms, which do a great part of the damage, are 
exceedingly local phenomena, extending, often, over but 
a few miles in width, and soon exhausting their force. 
The regular " North-easters " might veiy well be tele- 
graphed, for they pursue a somewhat regular and known 
course, from south-west to north-east, along the coast, 
and directions somewhat varying from this at different 
parts of the country, inland, we believe. 
There may, also, be other well defined classes of storms, 
whose approach might be announced, and which might 
be avoided by the use of the telegraph. The firing of 
cannon at the county court-houses, by county officials, 
is entirely impracticable, at present, but as there is a 
telegraph office at almost every railroad station, there 
might, and should, be a Storm Bulletin at every station, 
and every person going to and fro should cany the news 
of approaching storms to his neighbors. 
At the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, the me- 
teorologists, aided by able observers in all parts of the 
country, and by the officers of the telegraph companies, 
keep a very close watch of the storms, at the time they 
are in progress. The real problem to be solved, then, is — 
how to convey the information thus gathered to the far- 
mers. We think it may be easily and simply done, 
and would earnestly recommend the officers of our rail- 
roads to move in this matter, and, as soon as possible, co- 
operating with the Smithsonian, to have a thorough 
meteorologist appointed, whose duty it should be to 
learn the movements and character of storms throughout 
the country, and communicate definite information along 
all the lines of railroad telegraphs in the country, which 
information should be immediately and clearly bulletined 
at the various stations, by the railroad or telegraph em- 
ployees. This may be done at once, and the result would 
doubtless pay the railroad companies thirty-fold for their 
email expenditure in the increase of agricultural wealth. 
Draining for Profit, and drain- 
ing for Health, is the title of a new work on this 
most important subject, by Col. Geo. E. Waring, Jr., 
published by Orange Judd & Co., which will be issued 
early in t/te present month. The theory and practice of 
thorough draining has, within a few years, made great 
progress, both on the small scale involving the freeing of 
a few acres only from superfluous water, and opening the 
sub-soil to the benign influences of air and moisture, and 
warmth together, and also in enterprises of great magni- 
tude, affecting the sanitary condition of whole districts 
of country. The progress made has been chiefly in 
Gre&* Britain, and on the Continent, Col, Waring's work 
is compact, fully illustrated, very clear, both in its argu- 
ments and in its directions for practice, and, throughout, 
readable. We are confident that it will be at once re- 
cognized as the standard American authority on this 
subject. It is thoroughly American, and tells what 
everybody wants to know, (omitting those things which 
people generally know, or which are of little service,) in 
regard to thoroughly draining the land. It is needless 
for us to allude to the extraordinary qualifications of Col. 
Waring for writing such a work. He has been, practically, 
very successful as a draining engineer, and few, either in 
this country, or abroad, have such monuments of their 
skill to point to as has he, the most important of which 
is the New York Central Park. In this book he embodies 
and condenses the studies and results of many years. 
Our book-list, page 205, gives the price at $1.50. 
The Poultry Book, by W. B. Teget- 
nieier, F. Z. S., with pictures by Harrison Wier, printed 
in colors by Leighton Bros., 356 pages, Royal Octavo. 
Cloth, gilt edged. Geo. Routledge & Sons, London, 1867. 
This work which we have been receiving and ad- 
miring in numbers for a year is now complete, and issued 
in very attractive style. Instruction by the eye, through 
accurate and beautiful engravings, is vastly more impres- 
sive and better retained in the mind of the learner or 
reader, if the subject be adapted to pictorial illustration, 
than if language be used alone. In this work not only 
are all the more valuable breeds of useful and ornament- 
al poultry most beautifully represented by large colored 
lithographs, having the effect and richness of oil paintings, 
but the letter-press gives very full accounts of each breed, 
together with excellent instruction in regard to the rear- 
ing and care of poultry, their breeding, use, diseases, etc. 
The engravings are chiefly from the very accurate pencil 
of Mr. Harrison Wier, whose drawings every poultry fan- 
cier is more or less familiar with, from the very free man- 
ner in which they have been copied by almost eray 
writer on this subject. One of the most valuable parts 
of the book is the Appendix, which contains the " Stand- 
ard of excellence in exhibition birds," which is re- 
ceived, very generally, as the guide of judges at Poultry 
Shows in Great Britain. We have this elegant work on 
our table for sale at the moderate price of $9. 
Cider Vinegar. — "H,F." The quickest 
way of making it, is the process by which the cider may 
be most exposed to the atmosphere. The cider should 
have passed though the alcoholic fermentation. The harder 
it is the better. Manufacturers on a large scale have a plat- 
form covered with oak-shavings over which the cider runs 
slowly from one vessel into another. Do not attempt to 
make cider vinegar out of anything else but apple juice. 
"First catch your hare." The tongue is a good enough 
test of the strength of cider vinegar for domestic uses. 
Plant Lice. — "Charlie," Medina, Mich., 
writes : " Mother has a rose-bush, which is being de- 
voured by thousands of lice. What shall she do ?" — 
The answer to this will be a reply to many similar letters. 
Kill the lice. But how? — We have told how ever so 
many times, but we will repeat it. — Use tobacco smoke. 
As Charlie is probably a good little boy, and does not use 
either pipe or cigars, we must teach him the horticultural 
use of tobacco, and advise him, at the same time, not to 
learn any other use of it. Put the plant under a barrel or 
box, and then take a few live coals in a convenient dish, 
put some tobacco-stems, or other tobacco on them, and 
place it under the barrel or box, so as to fill it with 
smoke. Take care that there is not enough fire to set the 
tobacco in a blaze, or you will kill the plant. Our way 
with house plants is simply to make a cone or tent with 
a newspaper, and put it over the plant, light a little tobac- 
co in the bottom of a pipe, and then fill up the pipe with 
tobacco. Introduce the bowl under the paper covering, 
and blow through the pipe-stem. Most copious clouds of 
smoke will fill the paper cover, and in a few minutes 
every aphis can be shaken off. Give the plant a good 
showering, and it will not mind the treatment. 
Hair for manure. — L. A. Wickey, York 
County, Pa. Hair may be used in composts which un- 
dergo fermentation. It is a veiy powerful manure, nearly 
as much so as Peruvian guano, more lasting in its effects 
if applied in its raw state, but if composted first with 
anything that will cause its decay — as horse manure, or a 
muck and lime compost — it will quicken the action of the 
manure almost as much as an equal quantity of guano. It 
is valuable for its nitrogen (ammonia), but does not sup- 
ply phosphoric acid. Two cts. per pound is not dear for it. 
Black: Birds vs. Robins.-" H. W. T.," 
Canandaigua, IsT. Y,, writes: "I have watched the pro- 
gress of public sentiment relating to birds with some in- 
terest. While the law punishes the killing of a robin, it 
gives no protection to the blackbird, and for years no 
^epithefc^has seemed gufilciently seyere to apply to the 
brute who would injure the favorite. The blackbird is 
constantly destroying the enemies of the fruit, and is 
therefore a valuable friend. I have watched the robin 
carefully for twenty years, and have never perceived, in a 
single instance, a worthy act of his in this direction. He 
will destroy the harmless angle-worm in countless num- 
bers ; but if any other worm or insect, I have not been 
able to detect it. On toe other hand, there is not so pestif- 
erous an enemy to the fruit grower, even the curculio, as 
the robin. First— He takes the strawberries— every one 
his keen optics can espy. Next he gormandises upon the 
raspberries, as long as they last. Then the cherries fall a 
prey. Then the grapes vanish through his insatiable 
maw ; and a large portion of the delicious Bartlett pear 
falls picked and ruined by this omnivorous pest. A glim- 
mering of better times is seen in the changed tone of our 
fruit growers 1 societies." [This indictment of cock- 
robin must stand upon its own merits. There is a great 
difference of opinion about the habits of this bird. 
There is no doubt about the damage he does among the 
fruit. It is a question if he does not destroy insects 
enough to pay for this damage. We want more facts to 
determine this point, and shall be glad to hear from any 
of our correspondents who have carefully studied his 
habits to ascertain his food.— Eds.] 
Keeping- Eggs. — "Down East" and others. 
There is always some risk in keeping eggs a long time, 
and those not absolutely fresh will never sell well. When 
eggs stand long in one position the yolk gets down 
against the shell, and if there is any evaporation it soon 
either adheres to the shell or the air gets to it, and it de- 
cays, or becomes tainted a little. Eggs may be greased, 
and packed in oats in barrels headed up tight, kept cool 
and dry, and rolled or inverted or both every few days ; 
thus they will keep, and when wanted for market must 
be rolled in bran or meal to get the grease off, and per- 
haps dipped in lime water to give them a fresh look. 
How long they may he kept thus we do not know, but 
several months at least. Eggs will keep in lime water, 
but it is difficult to turn or roll the barrels, and so the 
yolks get against the shell, and besides the shells look 
very chalky, and their sale is hurt. The best way is proba- 
bly to pack the fresh eggs in barrels with meal or bran, 
setting them on end, using no grease, for the meal ab- 
sorbs it and it turns rancid. Head up the barrels and in- 
vert once a week, and keep in a cool dry place. 
How to Use Fish. €*uano. — This article 
is reckoned among the concentrated fertilizers, and is 
very rich in ammonia. It is to be used with the same 
precautions as Peruvian guano. It will destroy seeds, if 
brought in immediate contact with them. If applied in 
the hill, it should be mixed with the soil. It may be 
sown broadcast, and plowed or harrowed in, with safety. 
If applied as a top-dressing, it should be intimately 
mixed with ten times its bulk of loam, peat, or muck, 
and be allowed to remain in bulk ten days or more. 
Oil Cahe.— " Kentucky." This is the resi- 
due left after expressing the oil from Linseed, (Flax seed), 
and is in the form given it by the cylinder of the press- 
much like a thin cheese and very hard. When ground, it 
is called oil meal. It is simply Flax eeed less the greater 
part of the oil. 
Record of'EIorticnltni-e and "In- 
dependent" Criticism.— Messrs. Woodward, of 
the Horticulturist, have put out a neat volume of 125 
pages, (price $1.00,) called the Record of Horticulture. 
The editor is Mr. A. S. Fuller, who gives his notes on 
horticultural progress, reviews books, and contributes 
several valuable articles. The book is strongly individual, 
and, as Mr. Fuller is a known enemy to all shams, many 
authors and pretenders of various kinds will feel that 
their toes are trodden upon. Mr. Fuller is a genuine hor- 
ticultural iconoclast, and we are glad that we have at least 
one horticulturist, who has the courage to strip off the 
borrowed plumes from over-rated writers, and overpraised 
fruits. He may not always be right, but he evidently 
means to be, and for that we honor him, and always wel- 
come any contribution from his pen. as we are sure that 
it will be practical and vigorous. One of the most useful 
portions of this Record is the chapter on the propagation 
of Bulbs. Mr. Rand's work on Bulbs is singularly defi- 
cient in directions to the novice on the subject of propa- 
gation, and this Record is an almost indispensable sup- 
plement to that work The " Independent " of May 2d 
contains a most remarkable article on this "Record."— 
We do not call it criticism, out of respect to critics. The 
Independent has the reputation of being a religions 
paper. We occasionally read its Farmer's Column — 
upon the principle that the deacon always read the the- 
ater bills, that he might keep posted as to what the devil 
was doing. After we have read the "Farmer's Column," 
we arc satisfied— just as Mrs. Scmeer's boys didn't want 
any breakfast after their brimstone ana molasscwind 
